


Names are Forever

by Kamary



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Other, POV Second Person, Platonic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 09:44:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6279553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamary/pseuds/Kamary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk was born with the names of their eleven soulmates, platonic or otherwise, written on their skin. After falling into the underground, they want to meet all of them. Well, if they don’t already meet them accidentally on the way through.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Names are Forever

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Strange and Strong](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3413570) by [fowl68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fowl68/pseuds/fowl68). 



> This fic is inspired by fowl68’s soulmate au. It started as a oneshot, but after 7000 words, I realized this needed to be divided into multiple chapters. I don’t normally like writing fics this long, so I’m not entirely sure I’m finish it, but I’ll give the old college try.
> 
> The hardest part about writing fics passed on canon dialogue is getting it just write. As such, half of the dialogue is canon and the other half isn't. I tried to mix it up a little. I apologize if that's a problem.

Your grandfather called you Peacock, regardless of what your mother named you, due to the colourful words written all over your skin. You were born with all of them, he told you. Your mother never talked about them, unless it was to complain about how the doctors wanted to write a case report on you. She didn’t let them, so nobody ever told you the source of the marks on your skin.

You never really gave them much thought, though. Well, until you started to feel a slight burning in them as you climbed Mt. Ebott. You came here to disappear, as everyone did when they climbed the mountain. But the closer you got to the top, the more excited you became. You didn’t know why. You just _did._ You urged yourself to walk a little faster, wanting to reach the source. There was something here, you knew it. Maybe there was actually something great here. Something that nobody wanted to leave. You weren’t thinking as you entered a cave.

Forward more and more, you didn’t care where you were stepping. You thought to yourself, you wanted a new life or no life. You wanted a life worth living, and you’d die for it if you had to. The frenzied feeling in you died out only as your lost your footing and went plummeting into the abyss below.

\---

Your back felt like it was on fire! That was what woke you up. Your left shoulder blade felt like it was going to burn off. You jolted upward, sending yellow petals scattering all around you. As soon as you did, the burning started to die down. You looked to the flowers around you, too confused to really understand what’s going on. You stumbled to your feet and proceeded to wander. You soon found your way into the next room, given there was no branching path. You needed to find someone, or something to let you see your back. It was still a little sore. Not burning, but sore. You think something might have bit you.

When you reached the next room, you saw a flower. A flower? It was different than the ones that you landed on. Huh, how many flowers grew in the mountain? There wasn’t much sun here. Must be why there was only one. You were ready to accept this, when the flower started talking.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey, Flowey the Flower!”

That when you stopped listening. There was a flower, talking to you. Yep, you were asleep. This was a dream. Water off a ducks back, Frisk, you just got to not let this hold you up. But of course it did, because the flower was talking, but you weren’t listening until you felt a popping and there was a heart floating in front of you. Not like an anatomically correct heart, but one of the Valentine’s Day card shaped ones. You went to poke it when you felt someone sternly judging you. Your hand lowered. The flower was still talking, about love now? Well, okay? You stared at him with a blank face until it summoned up seeds. It said run into them, but you felt like your feet were glued to the ground. You stood still until-

_Dodge, idiot!_

You felt like you broke free in that moment and dodged the seed, or, as you suddenly felt was the correct term, friendliness pellet, only to run into another. And how it hurt. It felt like your whole body was burning, especially your other shoulder blade, the one that had been fine until now, great. Great. You sunk to the ground and shut your eyes, only to hear the flower speak. The static in your ears made it hard to hear. Your stomach was tingling too. Fear? No, you weren’t scared. You just didn’t understand.

“In this world, it’s K I L L  O R  B E  K I L L E D !”

You waited for pain, but none came. There was a pathetic squeak, and then, all the pain you felt before was gone, except for the sore shoulder blade which you now accepted as a fact of life. You opened your eyes, just a bit, to look at what had happened, and in the place of the flower was a goat. Okay, this was a weird dream.

Somehow, this goat, who appeared to be some kind of hybrid between a goat and a middle aged woman, felt familiar. Familiar and warm. It was like the warm bubbling feeling you got after a good meal. It was a very different feeling than with the flower.

“What a miserable creature, tormenting a poor, innocent youth. Fear not, my child, I am Toriel, the guardian of these Ruins.”

Toriel, you’d know that name your whole life, but you’d only ever heard it spoken by one person before. It was the name that was scrawled across their lower stomach, right under their belly button, in a fancy light purple script. Despite not knowing her, not really, you latched onto her right away. She had a name you knew, she was something familiar, and you needed that right now. You originally meant to latch onto her emotionally, but curse this uncontrollable body of yours, you actually did physically.

“…My child, are you alright? Do not fear, I won’t allow anyone to harm you again.” There was a brief pat on your head. You frowned, knowing was her way of saying “let go”. However, as soon as you did, you hand was seized and you were guided into the next room.

“Please stay close to me. I will take you through the ruins. It’s not safe for a human to be travelling through here on their own. Though the monsters here mean no harm-“

For the first time since you arrived, you spoke, cutting the goat-woman off as she tried to explain this place to you. “Monsters?”

Your voice sounded weak and raspy, you hadn’t spoken in quite a while, since you’d long since discovered that nobody valued your opinion. Apparently Toriel noticed as well, as she looked down at you with concern, and what seems to be recognition, in her eyes.

“It seems a longer time has passed than I realized. Please forgive me, the unchanging nature of the ruins makes it hard for me to track time. As disappointing as it is that humans have forgotten about us, it is understandable.” She shut her eyes and began to explain. “Monsters are creatures born of magic. A long time ago, we lived beside humans on the surface, but eventually tension rose between the two races and humans drove us underground, sealing us down here with a barrier. Do you understand, my child?”

It was rather odd to be called someone’s child all the time, you thought. Regardless, you nodded. You’d heard Mt. Ebott served some kind of purpose a lot time ago, but you were too young to know what it was. Most people didn’t believe in monsters anymore, so who would believe this was the one that monsters were trapped under?

“As I was saying, the monsters in the Ruins do not truly mean any harm, and over time you will learn that they can be wonderful company.” Something about her saying that made you very uncomfortable. “However, most do not know what humans look like, so they might become curious with you. If that is the case, try talking to delay them. I will be there soon to settle the conflict. Please, follow me, I have a dummy prepared up ahead for you to practice on.”

 _She’s awfully eager to have you here. Maybe she eats kids, human kids, not goat kids, and is all prepared to take in her next meal_.

The voice sounded almost playful as it teased you, but you were not amused. You frowned and shook your head. Of course, Toriel took this as a sign that you did not want to practice on the dummy. She frowned, her expression going stern for a second before softening again, like she wasn’t sure if you’d listen to her if she tried to scold you.

“Ah, well, maybe we should just go home first. We can have some pie and talk about training later. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to learn the mechanics of battle right after being attacked by that awful flower.”

_Flower are, in fact, the worst type of people. But that’s kind of backwards logic. You should want to learn how to fight._

You didn’t though, regardless of what the voice, who might be you and might be something else, you were currently too frazzled to care, said. Fighting only got you hurt, and you had no interest in being injured further. This nice goat woman said you could avoid it, so you would. You nodded and clung close behind her. She brought you through a room filled with leaves, and you noticed a bright patch on the ground. You tugged your hand away from hers and headed toward it. The crinkling over the leaves under you was grounding. You quite liked it. You sat down on the leaves and touched the shining thing. For some reason, you felt stronger.

“My child?”

Oops, probably should have given Toriel an explanation. You offered her a nervous smile and returned to her side. Somehow, your head felt clearer and you were much more comfortable returning to her side. You took her hand again and moved forwards. However, renewed confidence only got you so far. She held your hand tightly, as if she feared you would run away again. She took you through a room with puzzles, never letting you go as she showed you not to step on the middle switches.

“These puzzles were left here from ancient days, to prevent invading humans from reaching us. Of course, we no longer fear that humans will invade, but traditions run deep, and monsters continue to use puzzles to this day. As you grow used to your new home, you will learn to solve these puzzles by yourself. But, not now, I would like to avoid putting an undue burden on you.”

You pouted. You actually liked puzzles, you had since you were a child. You remembered the piles of puzzle books you borrowed from the library. Someone had always written the answer inside, but you ignored them. Unfortunately, the librarians always thought you wrote them. You respected books, though. You’d never write inside them.

The next room also had a fairly simple puzzle. Actually, incredibly simple, as you could see arrows and instructions written on the wall. They were faded, like they’d been written long ago, but still legible. To your surprise, the hand writing looked very much like the name written on your stomach. You guessed it must just be a coincidence, though. Toriel pulled the switches for you, not even giving you a chance. She must really think you wanted to rush.

The next room had a dummy in it. It must be the one she prepared for you. Toriel tried to rush through, even though you tugged a little to slow her down. You felt like the dummy was looking at you, but you didn’t bother to look back. You didn’t want to upset her. Toriel seemed pretty protective.

The next room was pretty plain. It had a strange pattern on the floor. You think that was a puzzle, but you’d forgotten about it by the time that you made it to the other side of the room. Something bumped into your legs, and you soon found your soul emerging from your body again. Panic gripped you. The flower was back, you knew it!

_Calm down. It’s just a Froggit. They’re hardly a threat._

Froggit? When you looked down, you saw the name suited the creature very well. It was cute, like a little frog. No, there was something under the frog part? How odd. It ribbited like a frog though. You looked around, waiting for Toriel to- No, she told you that you should talk to them to stall for him before she arrive and dealt with the conflict. But, even when you tried to talk, your tongue got caught in your throat.

_Let me help. Okay, you can kick the frog, check its stats, compliment it, or you can treat it._

Check it’s stats? What did that mean?

 _You have selected, Check._ The voice’s tone was mockingly sarcastic. You frowned, irritated. That wasn’t your choice. _Froggit, life is difficult for this enemy._

You frowned, really? That was it?

_Hey, don’t push me. I’m at least trying. Froggits aren’t the most interesting of enemy. What, do you want me to make up some attack and defense stats too?_

You nod to yourself, stopping only as you noticed the monster gathering power. You froze, panicking, until Toriel stepped in. She gave the little monster such a fierce look that it had no choice but to flee. You were really glad that she never looked at you like that. You went to hug her around the waist as thanks, but were scooped up before you had the chance.

“Hmmm, maybe walking is a little too dangerous. Fear not, my child. I will carry you to the next room.”

_Wow, you really made her think you were helpless. At least convince her to let you walk._

You agreed with the voice for once and pout at the mother goat. She was already carrying you towards a spike field. …On second thought, you might want to stay in her arms for a little longer. You were concerned when she stepped on the spikes, but they not only didn’t stab her, but they also, well, they just kind of moved out of her way. You bet this was the puzzle. Step on the right spikes and you’d survive. You could have done this. You still didn’t want to struggle out of her arms until you were in the next room though.

You finally got back down to your feet when you reached the beginning of a long room. Toriel seemed rather torn by this. She had the same look as before, which you were starting to think was a fear that you would leave if she didn’t give you what you wanted. Despite only just meeting her, you felt bad for holding so much power over her.

“I am sorry my child, but I… I suppose I must text your independence. Please, make it to the end of the room. Forgive me my child!”

And she was off. You gave a slight gasp as she fled. She was fast. You looked left and right, waiting for something to happen. When it didn’t, you rushed after her. And boy was this a long room. It felt like you were running for a whole city block before she stepped out in front of you. You didn’t understand what came over you, but you were panicked. Somehow, it didn’t feel like those were your emotions. You bumped into her with surprising force, and even knocked her back a little. She was awfully light for someone so tall.

“I am sorry my child. I just needed to see if you could survive without me. I have been thinking, perhaps it would be better if I prepared the house for your arrival before I took you there.” There it was again. She was acting like you were going to live with her. You didn’t even know her! “Which, was why I was hoping you would be fine on your own. This room is very safe. I will ask a friend to make sure nobody comes this way. And, to make sure you are not lonely, I have prepared something for you.”

She reached into your pocket and pulled out a little silver phone. It was an old one, a flip phone. You’d never had one, nor had you seen anyone with a flip phone. At least not in real life. Somehow, this was exciting. You opened the phone and saw one number was already programmed in. This must be hers!

“I will return for you soon. Please remain here.”

Before you could say anything, if you could even say anything, Toriel was gone. You watched her go before taking your place against the pillar that Toriel had hidden behind. You slid down it and sighed. Looked like you were alone again.

_Not completely alone._

Yes completely alone. You weren’t even sure if the voice in your head was someone other than you. Unless they could give you some evidence, you weren’t going to believe them.

_Wow, stubborn. No wonder you can SAVE._

You cocked your head to the side. SAVE?

_The thing you did, a few rooms ago, with the bright thing. It’s called a SAVE point, where you SAVE. Basically, you set a point you can come back to if you die._

You jolted a little at the thought of death. Why would you need such a thing? …Then again, you did come here for a sad reason. There was a feeling, like someone was placing a hand on your shoulder, but it was gone in an instant.

_Anyway, alone or not, are you going to wait here for Toriel to come back? Knowing her, she’ll spend all day cleaning. She always forgets what a big job it is until she does it. She’ll probably leave you here until nighttime, not that you’d know when that is. There’s no sun down here to tell you what time of day it is._

You frowned. Well, if you got too lonely, you could always call her. You flipped your phone open and looked at the number there. But if you called her, you wouldn’t know what to say. You were no good at talking. Just because you’d done it earlier, didn’t mean you could do it again. What would she say if you made a sound like a car stalling into the phone, trying to make small talk?

_Well, you could call her to say hello, call her to ask her about herself, call to tell her about yourself, call her mom, or hell, you could even flirt._

Your eyes flared up in determination and you speed dialed her. You didn’t give her time to say anything before you used your number one pick up line.

“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? Must have hurt more than normal because we’re pretty far underground… Here…”

Well, you botched it. Your cheeks burned as your mind filled with laughter. Toriel made the most confused sound.

“You are an… Interesting child.”

Well, now you had to try again. You cleared your throat, trying to sound like you didn’t have gravel shoved down your thrown for once.

“Mom, help, I’m lost. In your eyes that is.”

Toriel seemed to be shocked- _By how good that was_ –and didn’t respond until a few minutes later.

“Oh dear, you can do much better than an old lady like me.”

You pouted. Seems like she was an unattainable dream. The voice in your head seemed pretty proud of you though. Still, it seemed like they wanted to say something.

“I miss you mom. Come back soon, okay?”

There was silence. You thought you’d done what the voice wanted, but there was a brief horror, then anger, and finally a bit of sadness. You couldn’t help but wonder why. Toriel sounded less angry and more happy. She must have been really lonely.

“Would that make you happy…? To call me mother?” She snapped into a happier tone. “Well, call me whatever you want. Good bye.”

You frowned. You got the feeling the voice was right and you wouldn’t be seeing Toriel for a while. Maybe you had messed up. You rested your head against the wall behind you. Maybe if you took a nap, the time would pass quicker.

_That or the flower will come for you._

You jolted upright. No, there was no way that the flower was coming back! Toriel took care of that. She had fire magic, you felt the heat. There was no way that it could survive. Every kid knows that grass types are weak against fire types.

_Fire and grass types? Look, kid, I know when monster die, they turn to dust, and there was no dust there. Trust me, that flower is coming back. Let’s just go to mom’s house. She won’t mind if we show up early. Besides, I’m so tired of saying still. I’ve been in these Ruins foreeeever!_

You gave a little snort. They didn’t sound any older than you.

_Cause I’m dead. Dead people don’t age. Which, unfortunately, means we don’t get any more emotionally mature either. It makes life super boring._

They were dead, like a ghost?

_Not really. Ghosts are a type of monster. I’m more like an echo. Humans are pretty good at sticking around, especially if they aren’t wanted._

You hummed. It didn’t sound like they liked humans very much.

_You’ll see pretty soon that’s the general attitude down here._

Funny, since they just admitted they’d been human. You couldn’t help but wonder who they were. It wasn’t very nice to set up shop in someone’s mind without even a quick introduction. And maybe without buying someone dinner first.

_Heh, how about you tell me your name and I’ll tell you mine?_

You remind them that this is your body. You sort of didn’t want them to know that any name you’d give them was a lie. You hadn’t used your true name for many years, since way before you were a child. Everyone called you Frisk now, but it wasn’t your real name. It was just what you preferred to be called.

_Fine. Well, I guess you can just call me by a nickname. How about… Dirk Knifely?_

You frowned. That was a pun. You knew what a dirk was, they couldn’t trick you!

_Heh, cute. I guess you’ll be a better partner that I thought. How about I call you that, Partner?_

You supposed it would do for now.

_Well, Partner, we should probably get going before that flower catches up to us._

You nodded. Best be on your way. You got to your feet and headed out of the room. You think you heard the sound of dirt moving behind you, and you decided to move a little faster after that. Maybe if there were other monsters around, you’d feel better.

\---

It soon became clear that having names on your skin was just a thing down here. You’d fought quite a few monsters by this point, and every one had a name on them somewhere. You’d missed it on Toriel and the Froggit, but all the others had obvious names.

Dirk was pretty good at informing you of the strengths and weaknesses of enemies. Your light banter stopped you from freezing up. True, these fights were terrifying, but you were getting better and better at dodging. Your confidence was raising. But of course, that didn’t last too long after your first death.

When you saw a ghost, you had to stop yourself from making a ‘I see dead people’ joke. You knew they were a type of monsters, but they’d never expected that the bed sheet ghost would be so accurate. You approached cautiously, not wanting to get attacked, but they noticed you soon enough anyway. They sit up and you notice the two names on them. Under their left eye was a very pale pink, almost invisible, name _Mettaton_. It was just like yours on your upper stomach, though yours was a little darker, right down to the loopy heart for an _o_. On their… Stomach? It was very hard to tell with ghosts. Anyway way, there was the name _Shyren_ in a tiny font that looks like it was hiding. It’s a darker colour, but not too dark.

As soon as they noticed you them, they started to make ‘z’ sounds. You looked back and forth, trying to figure out the cause. …Was… Was it bees? But, as soon as they asked if you were still there (to themself probably), you realized that they were trying to pretend to sleep. You looked for a way past them, but were unable to find any.

_Move them with force._

You frowned at Dirk, or you would if they had a physical body to frown at. You shook your head at them. However, you still couldn’t find a way across.  You sighed and decided that you had to climb over the ghost. However, as you neared, he snapped up like a frightened dear.

_Here comes Napstablook._

You raised a brow. How did Dirk know who this ghost was? You know what, no, you weren’t going to ask. If they knew that, they had to have more information on the ghost. You pointedly thought that you wanted to know more about the ghost to Dirk.

_Napstablook AT 5 DF 4. This monster doesn’t seem to have a sense of humor…_

You were about to comment how rude that was when something happened.

“oh, i’m real funny…….”

You were so shocked that they _heard_ the voice in your head that you didn’t think to dodge right away. You aren’t even sure you can dodge this. The ghost’s tears burn deep into your body, causing you to leap away and hiss in pain. Of course, this only caused you to jump into more of the tears, they burned all around you, making your soul ache. Your body could take damage too, but it was nothing like having your soul burnt. Your eyes teared up and you dropped to a knee. 5 AT your ass.

_Kid, you need to calm down. If you keep freaking out, this ghost will fry you._

Right, they didn’t want to hurt you.

_I don’t know about that… They are flinging fucking acid tears at you._

Language.

_Whatever. Just... Gah, I can’t even tell you to fight them, cause it won’t work. You can’t hit ghosts with physical attacks. I guess just… Make them feel like you’re a friend._

That you could do. It was kind of strange, since Napstablook waited for you to finish thinking. It was like they didn’t want to fight. Honestly, they probably didn’t. You thought over your actions, and as always, Dirk provided you with a list.

_Flirt, threaten, or cheer._

You could threaten, they probably deserved it after burning you so badly, but you decided to flirt instead. You winked at the ghost and made double pistol with your fingers. All that happened was they looked confused and backed up a little.

_You should use the next turn to heal._

With what? This wasn’t a game, you couldn’t just slap a Band-Aid on your soul and be better.

_Eat monster food. Remember all that candy you stole?_

Good times, good times.

_It will be converted into energy inside you._

You were pretty sure that all food did that.

_Yeah but no- Why aren’t they attacking us?_

Instead of questioning when you became and us, you looked to the ghost in front of you and raised a brow. They floated up a few bullets, spelling out ‘Really not feeling up to it right now’. ...Crap, you couldn’t attack this monster right now, even if you wanted to. They looked so sad. You decided to try to cheer them up a little.

 _No, I said heal_.

But Napstablook started to look a little better! You smiled to them, but the smile was cut short as the crying started again. The acid tears flooded your body and you started to feel… Dizzy. The world began to darken around the edges.

_Frisk, you need to heal!_

It was too late for that though. Your eyes closed and you feel forward. You could feel your soul shattering.

\---

There was a deep, warm voice that made you feel safe. It begged you to hold on. But you were so sleepy… Maybe you’d rest a while longer. …No, there was a burning in your chest that refused to allow you to rest. You pulled yourself up and opened your eyes to a hunk of cheese.

_Frisk!_

You frowned. You were pretty sure you never told Dirk your name…

_Kid, you just died. This should not be your first concern._

You just died? …Oh gosh, you did, didn’t you? You feel you should be horrified, but somehow it didn’t sink in. You could still feel the ghost of your skin burning, but ever part of you was okay. You shook your head. No, you were fine. You were fine, and you need to go forward.

_Maybe we should avoid that Napstablook fellow. I don’t want you getting hurt again._

It was weird to have someone want to protect you. But you would be fine. You offered them a smile you knew they couldn’t see and headed into the next room. This time you would be ready. You woke the ghost up and didn’t waste any time starting to cheer them up. Maybe you should be mad at them, but you really couldn’t be. They were just scared. You’d be scared too if some strange human attacked when you slept. It wouldn’t be the first time.

It took several attempts at cheering, but eventually, Napstablook showed you their hat and you flirted with them. They seemed to be a little upset at this, which worried you, but the fight ended so it must not be a bad upset?

“oh… i came here because nobody is ever around, but i met someone really nice today…… i’m really sorry. i’ll get out of your way.”

They got up and turned around. On their back, you saw something you never expected to see, a name. Specifically, your name. It wasn’t in the fancy script that Toriel’s name was, but written in wide, harsh lines which seemed inconsistent, like it was written in crayon. It was a pale red against the ghost’s back, making you think to the almost invisible name on the bridge of your right foot. _napstablook (oh no…. am i taking up too much room…..? I’ll get out of your way…)_.

You went to stop, them but they were gone almost as fast.

_Must suck, being killed be someone carrying your name._

You raised a brow, but Dirk offered no answer. It felt, oddly enough, like they understood that feeling. Surely it wasn’t you who was feeling so guilty.

\---

What Dirk described as a trauma of being killed by one of your named people was soon washed away as you died several more times before reached Toriel’s house. The Loox, who Dirk insisted there called Loox Eyewalkers, got you once, but it was mostly the Vegitoids. They only asked you to eat, but it is very hard to do so while people are shooting at you. Eventually, you made it to a forked path.

_If you head north, you’ll run into Toriel. But, if you continue heading forward, you’ll be able to see the city. Don’t worry, nobody would dare fight you so close to Toriel’s house. She’s kind of scary when she’s mad. Come on, I want to show you the city. You won’t be able to get there from here, you’d need magic to do it, but you can at least look._

You frowned, but eventually agreed. As it turned out, it was worth it. The city was huge, bigger than anything you would expect to see underground. You gave a small gasp.  This was beautiful. Your eyes widened as you looked over it.

_Unfortunately, the stairs activate with magic. It’s built that way to defend against human threats. While some humans can use magic. It’s a rare trait. The goal was to get rid of all the mages before they got this far. Not that it would work. Monsters have never managed to kill a single human._

It was still a nice view though. Funny. Everything was purple. You guessed that was nice colour to make buildings out of. You didn’t see any life below, though.

_It’s called the Ruins for a reason. It used to be called Home, but… I guess they decided to move on. A whole city, left behind. Doesn’t it make you kind of sad?_

You nodded. It reminded you of forgotten toys. It was silly, but they also made you tear up. You hated people being lonely. Maybe it was because you were so lonely yourself.

_…Heh. I think we should go see mom, though. She’s probably almost finished her first round of cleaning._

You nod and turned to leave, only to almost trip over something. …A knife? No, the shine was wrong. It was made of plastic.

_Still a knife, regardless of what it’s made of._

That was the truth. You went to leave when your body froze up.

_Wait. You should take it with you. They don’t make knives like that very much anymore. Besides, it looks like a real knife, and you can use it to scare monsters off if you can’t pacify them._

You reminded them that your stick worked just as well.

_It works, but it’s not as intimidating. Come on, just take it. Pretty please, for me?_

You weren’t sure on that.

_And after I took you sightseeing…_

Fine, fine. You rolled your eyes and picked the knife up, slipping into one of the belt loops of your shorts, carefully hidden under your sweater. Dirk seemed to be okay with this, and you headed to Toriel’s place. Hopefully she wasn’t too worried.

\---

She was very worried. As soon as you were taken inside, she had shown you to a room. The feeling in your gut, the one that always came up when she acted like you were always going to live here, flared up once again. However, you were too tired to say anything about it and conked out almost as soon as you got into the room. You slept dreamlessly tonight, which was a good thing. You were not very happy with the thought of having someone spying on your dreams.

You pulled yourself out of bed and looked at something on the ground. A hat? No, it was a slice of pie. You leaned down and picked the plate up. It was too early to eat. You weren’t used to eating breakfast, and knew your body would reject food so early in the day.

_You should get a Tupperware from the kitchen for it. Monster food doesn’t spoil, but if you want to take it with us, you’ll need to make sure it doesn’t squish._

Take it with you? You weren’t aware you were going anywhere.

_You don’t want to live here, do you?_

Well, no, but you intended to stay at least a little. Toriel seemed really lonely.

_…Fine, but you’ll have to leave at some point._

You nodded and headed out into the hallway. The bright light caused you to cover your eyes. You looked left and right, and noticed this house was a lot bigger than you thought. There were two doors to your left. One was probably Toriel’s, but who did the other belong to. You headed down the hall and peeked inside one of them.

This was definitely Toriel’s room. It had a big bed, Queen sized most likely, and a journal on the desk. You went to read it, but the disapproval of Dirk caused you to look at the chair instead.

_This chair is called Chairiel._

You snorted at the pun. You could almost see Dirk smiling in your head. You cursed yourself. Your secret love of puns was revealed at last.

_Knew I couldn’t share a body with someone who doesn’t like puns! Don’t worry, Frisk, I’ve got a lot more of those planned for your future._

You groan. This was not a good idea. You walked across the room and went to check a drawer, only to hear a hiss inside your mind. Oh, looks like Dirk did not approve of that either. It wasn’t your fault you were a nosy little shit.

_That’s her sock drawer! Why would you want to go in there?_

You shrugged. They were just socks.

_They’re not just socks. It’s just… Vulgar. That’s just monster culture, okay?!_

You shrug and head out of the room, eyeing the cactus on the way out. You wouldn’t want to touch that thing. Why did Toriel even have it? You felt someone’s excitement and realized you’d walked into another pun.

_Ah, the cactus, the most Tsundere of plants._

They were saving that one, weren’t they? You received no answer, but knew this was the truth. Great, they were a nerd. …It was kind of endearing, though. You gave a little snort and continued your journey.

The room at the end of the hall was locked. According to the door, it was under renovations, but Frisk couldn’t get in at all. It made them rather uneasy. What if she was hiding something terrible here? Most likely not, but she might be. However, they had no lock picking skills and Dirk was getting annoyed with them for trespassing, so they decided it was better to leave it. They cough hear the sound of something from the room beyond the entrance hall. Most likely Toriel was awake.

As you entered the hall, you noticed a plant at the end. You headed in its direction, only to become distressed by what you saw. You didn’t look very good. You were cut and bruised, and looked like you hadn’t slept in a hundred years, despite having just woke up. However, you weren’t the one that took it the worst. There was a choking sound in your head, immediately rousing you out of your thoughts. That wasn’t you, so it must be Dirk.

“…Dirk?” Your hoarse voice managed to snap them out of whatever it was that alarmed them so much.

_Wha-What is it, Frisk?_

“…You sounded scared.”

_It’s nothing… Just… It’s just you. I thought that- No, it’s fine. I mean, it’s nothing. Just go and talk to Toriel. I bet she wants to see you. She likes to stay up late at night and read. She was… Is always looking for company. Hope you enjoy snail facts._

The last bit was almost strange enough to throw off how odd it was that Dirk knew what Toriel did. Then again, they seemed to know a lot. It was… Strange. Maybe they’d been around her longer than you thought. Regardless, you headed to the living room. There she was, sitting there were a book of snail facts as Dirk suggested she would be. You offered her a smile and settle next to her.

You could wait a while before leaving. It felt… Right here.

\---

Or, as right as it could. After five days, the unsettling feeling in your gut got worse and worse. It was obvious to anyone, even you, that Toriel expected you to live here forever. But you couldn’t. You weren’t even sure that humans could survive underground. It wasn’t like you had a life to get back to, you just didn’t want to spend the rest of your life underground.

Also, you had were slightly afraid that Toriel had a horrible secret. You, a child raised on drama, could only imagine what she was hiding in her basement. It had been five days, five days of snail facts, and she kept insisting you go play upstairs whenever you wandered down there. She always knew when you were trying to slip off downstairs, and you couldn’t figure out how. You’d tried walking fast, walking slow, walking softly, making a fake you out of pillows and hiding it in your bed. None of these things worked, and you had yet to see the likely literal skeletons in her overly large basement. You wanted to find out before you left. Besides, you had other things to ask her too.

_Like about names._

Like about names. You reminded yourself not to inner monologue while you had a ghost, err, echo living in your head, and looked under to Toriel. She’d told you the same fact about snails flipping their whole digestive tracks over for the third time before you finally decided to ask her. You tapped her on the leg lightly.

“Hey…” Your voice was much less hoarse than it was when you moved in, as you were starting to feel comfortable enough around her to talk, but it was still pretty bad. “Mom, would you be able to tell me about names?”

“Names?” Toriel looked up from her book on snails. “Well, of course. Mine is Toriel, and yours is… Well, I guess you never told me it.”

You frown at her and shake your head, tired of these mom jokes. “No, no, I mean, can you tell me about _names_ , the one that all the monsters have written on them.”

“And you too, I hope.” You should probably tell her. “We have the names of our soulmates, the people we will spend the rest of our lives with, written on our skin. Now, don’t make that face.” You weren’t aware you were making a face. “Not all soulmates are romantic. In fact, the majority are platonic. Most people will have only one romantic soulmate, though I’ve seen up to seven on one monster, but they normally have two or three platonic soulmates.”

“And what about people with no names?”

Toriel frowned. Seems like this wasn’t a good thing. “Well, it happens. Normally, it means that their soulmates haven’t been born yet, or they are destined to live a life without any. O-oh, unless you are human.”

You blink. She was trying to avoid insulting you, you think. Best clear things up. “I have eleven names.”

She let out a surprised bleat at that. “Eleven? And for one so young… That’s quite amazing, my child. It must mean you will live a long and happy life. Might I ask, have you met any of your names yet?”

You nod at her. “Two, you and Napstablook.”

“That lonely ghost that lives in the ruins? Well, you must be very happy to have met them. And, I am very glad you have my name on you.” She was doing that thing again, where she pretended that she wasn’t as happy as she was. At the same time though, there was a sadness to her voice.

_She’s trying not to get attached. She’s afraid you are going to leave her._

You frowned. You did intend to leave, but not forever. You’d come back and visit, but you couldn’t live your whole life in one house! Desperate to stop thinking about your mother figure’s sadness, you found another question to ask, one that had been bugging you for quite a while.

“What if the name loses its colour and becomes a scar?”

She frowned and opened her muzzle, trying to answer, but it looked like she was having trouble doing so. You kept looking at her, making it clear that you would not just drop the topic because it was uncomfortable. Soon enough, she gave a sigh and gestured to her paw pads. There were more names across them than you’d ever seen on one monster. All the names except for one was scarred over, a pale blue name _sans_ , much like a name on you. They were clustered onto the left paw. The right, or the majority of it, was pale white and dead looking, cracked like the ground of a desert. Something about looking at that made you feel a little ill.

“When a person that you are soulmates with dies, their name scars over. …Did you see this on a monster outside?” Her tone was nervous, as if she was afraid. You shook your head, causing her gaze to glaze over in sadness. “…I see. That is a shame. It happens sometimes, by a twist of fate, someone you were met to be soulmates with will die before you ever meet them. Perhaps it is lucky you were never raised with the expectation of meeting these monsters.”

You furrowed your brows. “Only monsters?”

“Or those that are soulmates of other monsters. It’s one of the things that set us apart from humans.” Well, that would explain her behaviour previously. She looked down at her left paw. “Names are forever…”

You could almost feel Dirk shifting uncomfortably in your head. You got the feeling that she meant something more by that.

“Do names ever disappear while the other person is still alive?” There was an ever so slight accent to your words, and you realized they weren’t yours. You internally scolded Dirk for controlling your body without permission, but let it go. They probably did it by accident in concern for your mother figure.

“Very, very rarely.” Toriel looked like she was going to cry. “Sometimes a soulmate does something so bad, so shocking, so against everything you believe in, they break the bond. It’s an attack not only on your soul, but theirs as well… The mark burns over, not a track of the name remains. It’s called bleaching.”

Regretting that you ever asked, you pull your mother into a hug. You feel low, lower than the dirt. Not just you, but Dirk as well. It wasn’t just because they asked, you realized, but something deeper. You wondered what sort of names they had when you were alive. Toriel returns the hug and pulls you tightly against her. You can almost see the tears in her eyes as she releases you.

“I… I have something I need to do, please wait here.”

You wonder if she needs you cry, and you let her go. However, as you hear the familiar creek of the basement stairs, you realize where she is going. Without another thought, you scurry down after her. When you arrive, she’s standing in the hall.

“You want to return to the surface, do you not?” Her voice is cold, and carries with it the weight of centuries of sadness. “There is a one way exit to the Ruins at the end of this hall. I am going to destroy it. Please, be a good child and return to your room.”

You frown and approach. An exit? So that’s what she was hiding… You think, you might have known this for a while. Dirk certainly didn’t seem surprised, but they definitely wanted to leave. You nodded and rushed after Toriel. She stopped again a short while later, her fists clenched and she refused to look at you.

“Six names, six before you, and every one of them scarred over. They arrive, they leave, they die. If you leave… They… Asgore will kill you. I won’t let that happen. Now, please, go back to your room!”

You chased her even further down the hall. Thanks to her long legs, you lost sight of her for a moment. Luckily, though, you spotted her standing in front of the door. That was it, it was your last chance to leave, and you had to leave.

“You… You won’t go back, will you?” Her voice was sad again, and you felt guilty. “I suppose I have no other choice. Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive.”

You hadn’t fought for several days, but you took a fighting stance regardless. You felt your soul being pulled out of your body. Your soul blazed with determination, and the battle began.

Toriel snapped her finger and the room burst into flames. The magic you’d seen so far was lazy, easy to dodge, without much force to it at all. Toriel’s… It was something else. The hot white flames around her scorched the earth, making you realize why that first Froggit was so scared of her. She was on a completely different level than the monster you had fought before.

If you were scared, Dirk was terrified. They were a ball of emotion in the back of your head. You were used to having a calm, stead, and snarky presence in battle with you, but Dirk was worse off that you were. You think you felt guilt in them, you didn’t know why.

You nudged the echo in your mind into wakefulness. They could only weakly respond.

_Ummm, you can… Fight, check her, talk to her, spare her, or flee?_

You decided that talking was the best option.

_I… I can’t… You couldn’t think of what to say._

It was true, neither of your knew. You were both too scared and otherwise distressed. You didn’t have time to select another option before she attacked you with hot flames. Seeing all the ones she had summoned, these flames were nowhere near her full power. She was holding back and you knew it. It still burned when you got hit. The magic exploded against your body, causing pain throughout the whole thing, not just the area it hit.

_Hold on. Ummm, maybe attack her? She just wants you to prove to her you are strong enough to survive. Maybe that means she wants you to prove you can fight her. I mean, look at her. If this were a game, she would be the final boss. If you can fight her, you can fight anyone._

You were still hesitant about this though, and instead opted to check her for this next move instead. Dirk was as quick as ever to respond.

_Toriel AT 80 DF 80. Knows what’s best for you._

That was hardly helpful because she _clearly didn’t Dirk!_ But, whatever, you jumped back to dodge another attack, only to run into another. There was a flash of concern on Toriel’s face as you took damage. Well, if she was concerned she could consider not throwing fire at you.

This round, you took Dirk’s advice and attacked, pulling the plastic knife you took earlier and slashing at Toriel in a wide arch. It felt natural, the knife in your hand, the arch being sliced through. You could do this. She wasn’t overly hurt. There wasn’t even any blood. Surely, she could got a little longer. You remember the advice of a Froggit, that you could spare enemies by injuring them until they were too intimidated to fight any longer. You didn’t like that method, but it might work with Toriel.

Once you started attacking, Toriel’s attack seemed to be easier to dodge. At you thought it was attributed to your increased confidence, but soon you noticed the way the attacks quivers. Toriel seemed scared to hurt you. It was fair. You didn’t really want to hurt her either. Your thought came at a pride though. As you missed a fireball and ended up getting struck in the back. Your body was starting to slow down as you were already pretty heavily damaged. Toriel gave a gasp and stopped her attack immediately. Even the fire balls she had already thrown froze in mid-air and fizzled into non-existence.

This had to stop. You crouched and rushed her. She should be weakened after this point, and wouldn’t want to fight. What you didn’t expect was for Dirk to should it shock and for Toriel to drop to her knees. She was just… Giving up, right? Something felt really wrong. She shook slightly as she spoke, and you suddenly realized you’d gone too far.

”Urgh... You are stronger than I thought...” Her voice was weak as her body shook. “Listen to me, small one... If you go beyond this door, keep walking as far as you can. Eventually, you will reach an exit.” Her breathing became laboured as a thought occurred to you. Do monsters even have blood? You don’t think you’ve ever seen it mentioned. Didn’t Dirk say something about dust? “Asgore... Do not let Asgore take your soul. His plan cannot be allowed to succeed.” She gave you a sad smiled before the end. “Be good, won't you? My child.”

And that was it. A thick cloud of dust formed around you. It was more like a snow storm that anything else. Among the dust, you saw a heart floating, much like your soul, but a different colour. It was white and upside down. Slowly, it began to crack.

_Grab it! Grab it grab it **grab it!**_

You tried to do as Dirk suggested, but before your finger reached the soul, her soul, it shattered, joining the cloud of dust around you. Eventually everything settled and you were covered in it. The guilt contrasted the feeling of power inside of you, the need of a need for more. You were… A very different person than you were moments ago. But, was it worth it?

Your thoughts were pulled aside by an intense pain in your lower stomach, like you’d been branded. You gasped and pulled up your sweater to see it, realizing Toriel’s name scarred over. She was gone. There was no going back anymore. You felt a little ill.

_Mom…_

You both felt ill. You closed your eyes and gathered all of your will power. You soul hadn’t returned to your body yet, since you were so on edge. Now was your only chance. You were going back.

_We only go back if we die, Frisk._

That was fine, you were going to die. You flipped the knife and pointed it towards your soul. You were still very injured from your fight with Toriel, and with so little hope, your HP wasn’t going to change as all. You felt a tenseness inside of you.

_F-Frisk this isn’t a good idea. I don’t like this plan._

It was fine. You smiled and pressed the knife into your soul. It shattered in an instant. The world blacked out.

\---

You were in front of Toriel again. She began to tell her speech when her expression changed slightly.

“Wait. ...Why are you looking at me like that? Like you have seen a ghost. Do you know something that I do not? No... That is impossible.”

She took in a breath and started the fight, but you had no intention of fighting her. You didn’t hesitate to rush her, not for an attack but to hug her. Despite the sweltering heat, you held on tightly. Toriel attempt to squirm out of your grip, but you were strong. You wouldn’t let her go. White hot fireballs floated near your skin, like a threat, but you did not shake them off. Instead, you continued to hold your mother figure.

“What are you doing? Attack or run away! What are you proving this way? Fight me or leave!” But you would not leave. You held her close. You wanted to tell hers something.

_You could tell her you saw her die…? No, that would be creepy._

Instead you looked right up at her and said five words. “I don’t want to fight.”

She shook her head. “Stop it. Stop looking at me that way.” Toriel attempted to tear her gaze away from yours, but even if she wasn’t looking at you, she know you were looking at her. She stopped trying to push you away and let herself go limp.

“I know you want to go home, but... Please... Go upstairs now. I promise I will take good care of you here. I know we do not have much, but...” Toriel took in a breathe, and you did too. It was tempting. You would be stuck here forever, but with someone who really cared about you. You could live a long life. But, as you thought of the other names on you, you realized this was not your destiny. Toriel began to shake once again, for a much less horrible reason this time. “We can have a good life here. Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs.”

You tightened your grip, and finally, she seemed to give up. You felt the instant she did and took a step away from her.

“Ha ha...” You wonder if her laughter was meant to cover her tears. If it was, it wasn’t doing a very good job. “Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child. …No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down there. The RUINS are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... For you, my child... I will put them aside.”

You smiled sadly at her. She didn’t return in. Instead, she leaned down and pulled you into a hug. She was so much larger than you. She’d dwarf even the tallest human, but to you, she was mom. Yes, you’d come back here someday.

“It was silly of me to try to keep you here anyway. Eleven names… You have a fruitful life ahead of you. You could never meet all of those people, trapped here in these Ruins.” She took in a laboured breathe and smiled to you. “My child, when you leave these ruins. Please… Do not return, I hope you understand.”

She walked past you, and you felt your heart sink. You’d be giving up on a mom that loved you, but… You couldn’t turn back now, could you? You heard her stop and you turned to look at her, but as soon as you did, she scurried off. As she left, you realized you’d missed something. On the paw pad of her right foot, you think you saw the letters _ISK_ in the same crayon like scrawl as you saw on Napstablook.

 _You’ll see her again._ Dirk was confident. _And even if you don’t, you always have her phone number. It won’t be that bad, just a long… A long distance mom._

They were as heartbroken as you, but together the two of you could make it through these ruins. You were filled with determination as you exited the room, and truly you wished that this was the last thing you felt in the Ruins, but of course, it wasn’t.

“Clever. Veeeeery clever.” The flower’s voice filled the room. You expected yourself to shudder, but you were not afraid. Somehow, fighting all of those monsters and seeing Toriel die made you a different person. It had only been about five days, and yet you felt like a large chunk of your life had passed.

“You think you’re right smart, don’t you? In this world, it’s kill or be kill. So, you were able to play by your own rules.  You spared the life of a single person. Hee hee hee…” The flower made that nasty face, but even that didn’t get you to show any emotion besides irritation.

_Correction, you spared the life of everyone. Creepy stalker flower. How does he not know that fact that you haven’t killed a single person?_

Obviously, Flowey couldn’t hear Dirk, but you could, and you couldn’t help but crack a smile. That seemed to irritate the flower. You kind of enjoyed it. You wanted him to know he wasn’t in control.

“But don’t look so cocky.” You would look as cocky as you liked. “I know what you did.”

You smile dropped.

_What?_

What? There was no way that he could know that. Nobody but you and Dirk knew about what you did. Even Toriel, your victim, didn’t know about her death. He must have been lying to scare you.

“You killed her.”

No no no! He must be reading your face! His face, actually, made it all the worse. He looked so much like her when he made that face.

“And then you went back, because you regretted it.” He knew. How did he know? You got your answer right away. “Hahaha! You think you’re the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world… Purely by your own determination. The ability to play God! The ability to ‘SAVE’.”

You shuddered at his word you didn’t want to hear this. The thought that he also had this ability, it was bad news for everyone. A murderous flower, just great.

_Just when I thought I couldn’t dislike flowers any more than I do._

Dirk’s humor helped a little bit. You were still scared though, but as long as they were here, you’d be fine.

“I thought I was the only one with that power, but… I can’t SAVE anymore.” Oh thank goodness. You give a gasp of relief. “Apparently, your desires for this world overwrite my own. Well well, enjoy that power while you can. I’ll be watching.”

He morphed his face in the more horrific and larger form. You shuddered at the sight of it. He was something more terrifying than any monster. However, as soon as he let out a creepy laugh, he was gone.

 _I don’t think he’s a monster_.

You blinked, confused by Dirk’s words. Only monsters were underground, there was nothing else he could be, right?

_Yeah, but… Monsters are made of love and kindness. He doesn’t, that flower, Flowey. Ugh, what an uncreative name… What if you called yourself Humaey the Human?_

You snorted. Dirk really know how to cheer you up. You were scared, but they were with you. “Howdy, I’m Humaey, Humaey the Hu-“

_No._

You laughed and made your way to the exit of the Ruins. The lights hurt your eyes. You covered them with your hand, but the brisk cold of the air hit you as well. Well, thank goodness you fell when you were wearing a sweater.


End file.
